Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and the Tradition of the Private Sphere: An Analysis of Symbols

Abstract

Assuming that Kubler-Ross' denial-to-acceptance schema has been adopted by the public on symbolic, not scientific terms, the paper analyzes the symbol “acceptance” and shows how that symbol is part of a strong American tradition of symbols of the private sphere. The paper shows that “acceptance” is created as a symbol to oppose the organized technology of modern medical systems; the paper shows that the tradition of the private sphere rose in the American Victorian period as a response to organized technology. The paper ends by questioning the rejection of technology as an adequate basis for a cultural death symbol. The first part of the paper is an analysis of Kubler-Ross' work and the second part is a sociology of knowledge of her work.